Name: Jordy Pimm  

Year and Program: 2L, English Common Law  

Fellowship: Hennick Business Law Fellowship  

Host Placement: Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group (OSEG) 

Testimonial:

I was very thankful to have gained the opportunity to spend my summer as a Hennick Business Law Fellow. Spending the summer in a unique in-house position exposed me to a variety of areas of law and provided me with the chance to gain practical skills and communication techniques that often aren’t developed in the classroom. The highlight of my experience was building a long-lasting relationship with my mentor which I have continued to lean on as I progress through my second year of law school and navigate the beginning of my career. 

Name: Nidhi Garg  

Year and Program: 2L, English Common Law  

Fellowship: Law Commission of Ontario   

Host Placement: Law Commission of Ontario  

Testimonial:

Working with the Law Commission of Ontario (LCO) was one of the most enriching experiences both professionally and individually. It helped me explore the area of AI and ethics which I am passionate about. I also got to work with some of the most brilliant minds in law. The mentoring I received from them is continuously helping me shape my journey through law school.  

What was the highlight of your Summer Fellowship?
There were several – meeting students from other law schools. Working on a project which focusses on AI which I am passionate about. 

Tell me a story about the best day of your Summer Fellowship?
One of the most rewarding days during my summer fellowship was the day I presented my research to everyone at LCO. I was able to navigate the complex area of AI and ethics and involve everyone in discussion. The presentation and work were appreciated by everyone at LCO. 

How do you think a Summer Fellowship makes you stand out to potential employers?
It gives you experience of working in a field related to law. It shows teamwork and research and writing skills. 

If you had the opportunity, would you participate again and why?
Absolutely, I met great people at LCO and actually found a mentor in the area I want to work in. LCO is such a collegial and supporting place that working there really helps you gain knowledge and perspective. Everyone is very approachable and happy to mentor you formally and informally. You can choose your own project and also work on multiple projects in your area of interest. They work with the forward-looking issues in law and the work is very exciting. But ultimately, it is about people you get to work with. 

Did your Summer Fellowship lead to other opportunities?
I got hired by LCO as a research fellow to continue working on my project for the whole year. 

What are your tips to secure the best summer Fellowship Opportunity?
Research the various opportunities, reach out to people in your area of interest and be creative.

Name: Hailey Berge 

Year and Program: 2L, English Common Law  

Fellowship: Public Interest funded by the Law Foundation of Ontario  

Host Placement: Prisoners’ Legal Services 

Testimonial:

A highlight of my Summer Fellowship experience with Prisoners’ Legal Services,  was being able to attend a client’s Parole Hearing as their legal assistant. I had worked with this client leading up to their hearing and submitted a written submission to the Parole Board of Canada on their behalf. Being entrusted with representing both the client, and Prisoners’ Legal Services in this capacity was very rewarding – especially since the client was granted parole! 

By completing a Summer Fellowship, you can demonstrate that you possess various transferable skills which are invaluable in the legal profession. For example, some skills that I gained as a fellow with Prisoners’ Legal Services include file management, client interaction such as interviewing, and written and oral advocacy. Additionally, it shows employers that you took initiative to explore your interests and passions while also gaining practical experience that will serve you well in your future career.

Name: Anneka Oh 

Year and Program: 3L, English Common Law 

Fellowship: Law Commission of Ontario  

Host Placement: Law Commission of Ontario (LCO) 

Testimonial:

The highlight of my summer fellowship was working on a special project assessing the impact of LCO law reform recommendations on legal policy conversations and the law. Given that I was the first student assigned to this pilot project, I was tasked with developing a format for the assessment and figuring out a research strategy. This aspect of my fellowship was very different from anything that I had ever done before in law school, and I am very grateful for this experience.  One of my best days of my Summer Fellowship at the LCO was getting to sit in on a stakeholder meeting with the Auditor General of Ontario about the LCO’s environmental accountability project. Not only did I get to experience the first stages of the law reform process in Ontario, but I also gained first-hand insight into how the LCO consults with stakeholders in making its recommendations.  I think that the amount of responsibility I was given at the LCO definitely helps me stand out to potential employers. The LCO team is very collegial, and I was given many opportunities to take initiative and try new things. While I worked independently for the most part, my mentor also gave excellent, thorough feedback on all my work and supported me the whole time.  

Name: Brigitte Kutin Nuamah 

Year and Program: 2L, French Common Law Program 

Fellowship: Fonds Nicole LaViolette  

Host Placement: Action ontarienne contre la violence faite aux femmes (AOcVF) 

Testimonial:

I consider my summer internship as one of the best opportunities to have as part of legal education. Being passionate about public law and women's advocacy, my internship exposed me to the realities to how disproportionately some groups in Canada have access to our justice system. My internship experience afforded me useful insight in Family law, sexual violence, and trauma. I have also become more aware of the importance of demystifying professional power, as a future lawyer.

Name: Natalie Oleksinski   

Year and Program: 2L, English Common Law 

Fellowship: Public Interest funded by the Law Foundation of Ontario 

Host Placement: Level 

Testimonial:

Creating my own summer Fellowship was a great way to improve my networking skills when looking for the fellowship. I chose to work with Level and use my previous education and work experience to help them create a new Environmental Justice Program for schools across Canada. It was a great experience to work on my research skills and use my creativity to create educational programming, social media posts and a mock trial.  Through this position, I was able to further work with Level after the summer. The Environmental Justice Program will be piloted in a few schools this year and I will take lead with the presentations. I also took the role of Chapter President for Level, which has chapters across Canada. In this position, I am leading a team of dedicated law students to tackle Environmental injustice by presenting workshops, pushing Bill C-28 and planning a community event.  

Student Name: Brittany Singh   

Year and Program: 3L, English Common Law 

Fellowship: Hennick Entrepreneurial Fellowship 

Host Placement: The Mobile Lawyer 

Testimonial:

I highly recommend creating your own Summer Fellowship because it allows you to focus on specific areas of law that you are passionate about and to work for a firm or organization that you are interested in. Moreover, a Summer Fellowship provides you with the independence to curate your own legal experience by not only choosing a firm, organization, or area of law to work in, but also choosing the types of tasks you will complete and legal experience you will gain through coordinating with your supervisor. The Summer Fellowship is an enriching experience that provides you with practical legal experience while developing essential skills that are important for you as a young legal professional.  

I was awarded the Hennick Entrepreneurial Fellowship and spent the summer working at a sole proprietorship firm called The Mobile Lawyer, which specializes in Real Estate, Wills and Estate, and Commercial Law. I had spotted The Mobile Lawyer a couple of years ago when I had first moved to Ottawa and had always dreamed of working there due to the firm's commitment to improving access to justice by delivering legal services to the client's door. After taking Wills and Estate Law and wanting to learn more about Real Estate Law and Commercial Law, The Mobile Lawyer was the perfect choice for my Summer Fellowship. My Summer Fellowship was very rewarding and remains as one of my highlights of law school, as I learned so much about these three areas of law, what goes into running your own sole proprietorship practice, and became more comfortable with handling client files and interactions. 

The highlight of my Summer Fellowship was the point where I became comfortable handling my assigned tasks on my own, which allowed me to feel greater independence. As I worked at a sole proprietorship firm, it was always quite busy, and I was responsible for handling a variety of tasks. From completing client intake forms, answering the phone, writing cheques, completing banking trips for the firm, and drafting legal documents, I was able to gain ample practical legal experience. I would say about halfway into my Summer Fellowship, I was comfortable handling most of these tasks without having to ask questions and get reassurance from the legal assistant or lawyer. This made me feel more confident in the knowledge that I had gained and my ability to apply it efficiently and correctly. This also allowed me to be quicker in handling the tasks that were assigned and I was then able to take initiative to ask for more tasks or to suggest tasks to my supervisor lawyer that I could complete during any free time I had. This led to me filing 3 years’ worth of client files for the office which was a great help to the lawyer and legal assistant and was a task I had come up with all on my own.  

I think a Summer Fellowship makes you stand out to potential employers by showing them that you have gained practical legal experience in a workplace environment and that you have developed skills that make you employable. Telling employers about the types of tasks that you completed or the initiative that you have taken during your Summer Fellowship will differentiate you from other applicants who have not yet gained this type of practical legal experience. Moreover, if you gained practical legal experience in an area of law that a potential employer practices in, this would convey that you have specialized knowledge and experience and will certainly set you apart. Regardless of the area of law that you focused on during your Summer Fellowship, skills such as legal research, legal writing, communication, teamwork, ability to handle tasks independently, and client service skills, will make you stand out to potential employers.  

My Summer Fellowship led to me being employed afterward at The Mobile Lawyer. I worked full-time during the remainder of the summer. When school started, I worked at the office once a week and brought files home to work on during the week when I had time. I have developed a great relationship with both the lawyer and legal assistant at the office. I am able to learn so much from them and have even led a client meeting. I am very grateful for the Summer Fellowship and the opportunities that it has led to and would recommend applying to any student.